As the years roll on the interest of the people of Great Britain in maritime matters would seem to increase rather than to diminish, and we therefore feel that in drawing the attention of the public, and more especially that part of it represented by the supporters of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITU- TION, to the valuable information con- tained in the Blue-Book recently issued by the Board of Trade relative to the shipping casualties on or near the coasts of the United Kingdom during the year ended the 30th June, 1900, we shall not fail to obtain an interested and sympa- thetic hearing. The greater the atten- tion centred on the tables and statistics giving the particulars of the terrible loss of life and property from ship- wreck on our rockbound shores, the greater, we are confident, will be the wish and will of all to help any means adopted to prevent, or at all events to reduce, the long list of disasters the distressing details of which are year by year brought under our notice. The Board of Trade tables to which we refer are so well arranged that it is made easy to all studying them to ascertain without trouble the precise state of affairs.

Everybody has not, however, the time or opportunity to examine the statistics in question, and we therefore endeavour, as is our annual wont, to bring the in- formation into such limits as may enable the reader in the course of a few minutes to realise the state of the case.

We find that the shipping casualties which occurred on or near the coasts of the United Kingdom in the year 1899- 1900, was 4,067, this number being, we are glad to note, a decrease of 973 as compared with the previous year, and, which is more important still, the total number of lives lost as a result of the casualties was 432, showing a very con- siderable decrease of 88 as compared with the year 1898-9.

The total of casualties in question included every description of accident befalling all classes of vessels—collisions, founderings, strandings, missing vessels, etc. The casualties are classified as follows :—(1) Total loss; (2) Serious casualties; (3) Minor casualties. Under all these headings there was a consider- able decrease, the cases of total loss and serious casualties falling from 1,276 (the total for the year 1898-9) to 1,116, a reduction of 160; and the cases of minor casualties showing a large decrease of 813, the total number being 2,951.

We much regret to report that life was lost in 128 instances, but are glad to note that this total gives a decrease of 3 as compared with the previous twelve months.

As has almost always been, the cases of collision represented in the year 1899-1900 a large proportion of the casualties, the total being 1,596, or 119 less than in the preceding year, and the casualties which involved total loss, collisions not being included, decreased from 309 to 281. The total of serious casualties fell from 644 to 520, the minor casualties also falling from 2,372 to 1,670.

Of the total casualties (4,067) 3,585 befel British and Colonial vessels and 482 Foreign vessels. It is very gratifying to note, however, that the total of the British and Colonial casualties showed a large decrease of 849 as compared with the year 1898-9. The total of Foreign casualties also showed a satisfactory decrease of 124 cases.

The localities of the casualties, ex- cluding collisions, were as follows :—East coast of England, 651, or 112 less than the preceding year; south coast, 343, or 217 less than in the previous year; westcoast of England and Scotland and east coast of Ireland, 917, or 440 less than in the year 1898-9 ; north coast of Scot- land, 155, an increase of 50; east coast of Scotland, 169, a decrease of 103 ; other parts, 236, a decrease of 32—total, 2,471, or 854 less than the preceding year.

The loss of life, which is of course the most important matter, resulting from the casualties in the various dis- tricts, including collision cases, was as follows: East coast of England, 41, or 52 less than in 1898-9; south coast of England, 83, or 65 less than the preced- ing year; west coast of England and Scotland and east coast of Ireland, 71, or 47 less than the number of the pre- vious year ; north coast of Scotland, 32, or 18 more than in 1898-9 ; east coast of Scotland, 37, a decrease of 18 ; other parts, 168; total, 432.

On the Chart of the "United Kingdom, which we issue each year, will be found a black dot entered against every spot on which any serious shipping casualty occurred during the year ended the 30th June, 1900; also the exact position of each of the 286 Life-boats of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION, so that at a glance it will be seen that the boats have been well and usefully placed.

Between the year 1861 and the 30th June, 1900, 6,102 British, Colonial and Foreign vessels were wrecked on .or near our coast, involving loss of life in every case, the total number of Jives so perishing being 26,383. Of the 432 persons who were drowned in the year 1899-1900, 348 were from British and Colonial vessels, and 84 from Foreign vessels. These statistics compared with those of the preceding year (1898-9) show a gratifying decrease of 59 in the lives lost from British and Colonial vessels, and of 29 in those lost from Foreign vessels.

Of the 432 lives lost in the year under consideration (1899-1900), 48 were lost in foundered vessels, 93 in collisions, 84 in stranded vessels, or 169 less than in the previous year; 128 in missing vessels, a considerable increase of 72 as com- pared with the year 1898-9 ; and 79 in explosions, washed overboard, etc. Only 16 out of the 432 persons who perished were passengers, 416 of them being either officers or members of the crews of the vessels.

The number of vessels meeting with casualties on or near the coasts of the United Kingdom necessarily vary from year to year, sometimes increasing and sometimes, happily, decreasing. The following table furnishes the statistics for the last 47 years :—1854 (last six months), 458; 1855, 1,141; 1856, 1,153; 1857, 1,143; 1858, 1,170; 1859, 1,416; 1860, 1,379; 1861, 1,494; 1862, 1,827; 1863, 2,001; 1864, 1,741; 1865, 2,012; 1866, 2,289; 1867, 2,513; 1868, 2,131; 1869, 2,594; 1870, 1,865; 1871, 1,927; 1872, 2,381; 1873 (first six months), 1,206; 1873-4, 2,191; 1874-5, 4,259; 1875-6,4,554; 1876-7,5,017; 1877-8, 4,436; 1878-9,3,716; 1879-80, 3,138, 1880-1, 4,297 ; 1881-2, 4,367 ; 1882-3, 4,363; 1883-4, 4,405; 1884-5, 3,764; 1885-6, 3,596; 1886-7, 4,224; 1887-8, 4,004; 1888-9,4,272; 1889-90,4,344; 1890-1,4,198; 1891-2,4,710; 1892-3, 3,499 ; 1893-4, 4,951; 1894-5, 4,917 ; 1895-6, 4,620; 1896-7, 5,277; 1897-8, 4,964; 1898-9,5,040; 1899-1900,4,067.

Total, 149,031.

Notwithstanding that during a period little exceeding a generation the number of lives perishing from shipwreck on or near our shores has amounted to the large and sad total of 30,222, it is good to know that, had it not been for the work done by the Life-boats and crews of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION, &c., the number of lives lost would have been considerably more than doubled, the total number of lives rescued by these means in the same period being 32,699, so that the lives thus saved exceeded those which were lost by 2,477.

The 313 rocket apparatus and otherstations which are, as everybody knows, so well managed by the Board of Trade and gallantly manned by the coastguard and rocket brigades, continue to do ex- cellent work in life-saving, and rescued from death in the year 1899-1900, 369 lives. This total was an increase of 146 as compared with the preceding year.

The Committee of Management of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITU- TION, in drawing the special attention of the public to the important life-saving work done by the Life-boat Service year after year, earnestly appeal for help to ! enable them to carry on this great I national work. The general difficulty existing at all times in raising charitable funds has of late been naturally greatly increased in consequence of the wide- spread appeals for financial help made during the last eighteen months, and even longer, in connection with the sad war in South Africa. The Committee would therefore again and again urge the fact that, whether the country is involved in war, or whether it is enjoy- ing the blessings of peace, help is and ever must be needed to rescue the perishing mariner from the " perils of the deep." The total number of lives for the saving of which the Institution has granted rewards has exceeded 42,900..